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September 16, 2011

Gov. Nixon Ready to Plug Missouri’s Court-Hole

With a Missouri Supreme Court vacancy looming on the horizon, Jay Nixon has a major decision on his hands that will leave a lasting impact on the state… like the Moberly sweetener factory did.

As the statewide unemployment rate ticks up bit by bit Jay Nixon has found the one job that he actually can create for someone, but who will he eventually choose?

For a Governor as inscrutable as Nixon, a politician who would take $170,000 from dirty lawyers suspended by that very Supreme Court, the people of Missouri can surely rest assured that he’ll pick the right man for the job. After all, he’s already worked so hard to narrow the list down to three knockout contenders.

The first of three contenders is a standout. That would be class-act class action attorney Joe Jacobson of St. Louis, who is currently defending allegations that he coached five TWA pilots to lie during trial.

Jacobson would obviously be a great choice for Nixon’s close circle. He could sling back beers with those incorruptible top donors Carey & Danis while they crack jokes about all the “clean” tricks they pulled in court.

The second contender, Jackson County Circuit Judge Michael Manners of Independence, has his own issues as well… issues that Joe Jacobson didn’t mind pointing out while being interviewed about his own indiscretions. Turns out Manners has been sued numerous times as a lawyer and as a judge. Top-notch to say the least.

But then there’s Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District Judge George Draper III. Much like the Governor’s son, he had a father in high places to take care of his getting high in interesting places. That’s right, he’s got a bit of a past with the Mary Jane.

In response to a question on his application, Draper answered with the following:

In approximately 1974, at the age of 20, while on spring break in the Bahamas, I was arrested for possession of a minor amount of marijuana. I paid a fine and upon returning to the United States, was confronted by my father, also an attorney, who had received a letter from the Bahamian government. After my father’s admonishment, my father advised me that he would take care of this matter by having it removed from my record.

And there you have it: Nixon’s three top candidates to fill the highest court in the state.